There has been a phrase on my mind for the past few weeks: “Our faith begins with God.” I don’t think that this phrase would be all that shocking to you or that it really tells you anything new. This very idea is clearly stated in the first line of the Bible.
Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
There it is, crystal clear: “In the beginning God”—full stop. At the beginning of everything, God was there.
Now, John 1:1-4 parallels Genesis 1:1, but it also presents an expanded view of Creation:
“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”
In this account of the beginning, we can see how Jesus, referred to here as the “Word,” played an integral part in Creation.
Sometimes, I think that people get the wrong idea about Jesus. That He was sent after humanity proved itself totally incapable of obeying God, but no. Jesus isn’t some young, B-stringer who got sent into the game after the coach (God) realized that the A-string couldn’t win on their own.
John 1 tells us that He was there from the beginning, playing His part from the beginning.
Our salvation has been in the works since the beginning.
God is at the beginning of our faith; Jesus is at the beginning of our faith.
There’s an ancient myth that the entire world rests on the back of a massive turtle. And according to some popularized accounts of the myth, a young student is supposed to have asked what this turtle is resting upon, to which his wise teacher replies, “A larger turtle.” When the student repeats his question, the teacher again replies, “A larger turtle.” When the student asks a third time, the teacher replies, “It’s turtles all the way down.”
Thankfully, we do no stand upon the backs of turtles. Rather, we rest upon the Risen Savior.
Our faith—our very universe—rests on Jesus, and He rests upon nothing. He upholds everything by His own power and authority.
He was there at the beginning; He is here now; and He stands triumphant at the end.
When things get difficult, when we feel overwhelmed, like we’re ready to give in, we can always go back to the beginning: we can go back to Him. No matter how lost we might feel; we can start over with Him.
I ended the previous quote from John 1 with verse 4, but let’s read it again—in the present tense—with verse 5 included.
“4 In [Jesus is] life, and that life [is] the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
I don’t know what darkness surrounds you, but Jesus’ light is shining your way, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
Maybe you’re not surrounded by any darkness, but you still don’t quite feel like Jesus is here with you. Then, go back to the beginning. Look back to Jesus and start over. As CS Lewis wrote, “Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.” Let’s start over each day, relying upon God afresh and anew for the confidence of our salvation.
Jesus was at the beginning. Jesus is here now. He is eager to pour His light, love, and power into our lives. Let’s rely on Him more and more each day.
Prayer: “Jesus, I’d like to start over with you, every day. I want to know that You’re with me, and I want to completely reliant upon You.”
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